One of Three in Nation: St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Program Receives Award

Syracuse, NY (December 4, 2017) — St. Joseph’s Health cardiovascular care program is one of only three programs in the United States that received three stars from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) in all five procedure categories: Coronary Artery Bypass, Aortic Valve Replacement, Aortic Valve Replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass, Mitral Valve Replacement, Mitral Valve Replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass.

The rating was announced as a part of the STS National Database, established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database has three components—Adult Cardiac, General Thoracic, and Congenital Heart Surgery, with participants in 11 countries, including all of the United States.

St. Joseph’s Health was recognized for procedures in the Adult Cardiac component of the study. The information collected on each cardiac program becomes a part of the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. This database has provided the basis for valuable research that improves patient care, and it also plays an increasingly important role in national policy deliberations regarding provider performance measurement and healthcare quality improvement.

“A three star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons reflects the highest standard of clinical excellence in cardiac surgery,” said Charles Lutz, MD, cardiac surgeon at St. Joseph’s Health. “To be one of only three cardiac surgery programs out of over 1,000 in the United States to achieve this rating is a monumental achievement and reflects the elite team we have at St. Joseph's Health.”

St. Joseph’s Health has the most awarded cardiovascular care program in the region – with nearly a dozen different accreditations, certifications, and recognitions for cardiovascular care. It has also been the first to bring several new cardiovascular procedures to Central New York, beginning with the first open heart surgery in Central New York in 1958.

About The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)

Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is an international not-for-profit organization representing cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and other health care professionals who are part of the cardiothoracic surgery team. STS members are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a member of Trinity Health.